Promoting a culture of prehabilitation for the surgical cancer patient

Promoting a culture of prehabilitation for the surgical cancer patient

Carli F, Gillis C, Scheede-Bergdahl C. Promoting a culture of prehabilitation for the surgical cancer patient Acta Oncol. 2017 Feb;56(2):128-133.

What is already known:
Poor functional capacity is known to affect outcomes after surgery. Focus has now turned away from the postoperative to the preoperative phase and help prepare a patient for the insult that is surgery. But it is not just physical fitness; a cancer diagnosis can also have other affects on a patient, such as sarcopenia and malnutrition, as well as detrimental psychological effects. So the preoperative period is potentially an ideal time to make improvements in nutritional status and psychological health.

What this paper adds:
This interesting Canadian article reviews the literature on not only exercise programs, but also how to optimise nutritional status, and how psychological distress can influence functional capacity.

Chris Jones, Guildford. @chrisnjones